The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, has told the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) his desire over its role in the new
Mediterranean migration initiative to save 2,500 people food insecurity, reports
NaijaAgroNet.
The Holy Father in a meeting with FAO Director-General José
Graziano da Silva commended the agency's efforts to address migration in the
Mediterranean region as well as its work to promote the strong links between
peace and food security, climate change and sustainable development.
Graziano da Silva while briefing the pontiff on FAO's Blue
Hope Initiative said it seeks to transform Southern Mediterranean coastal zone
communities into engines of stability and growth, in particular by supporting
the activities of small-scale fisheries.
"Migration is an
issue which is very close to Pope Francis' heart. Much more needs to be done to
tackle what is happening in the Mediterranean where more than 2,500 people are
estimated to have died so far this year in attempts to reach Europe by
sea," the FAO Director-General said after today's meeting.
The pontiff and Graziano da Silva also discussed the current
peace efforts underway in Colombia and in the Central African Republic and the
hope that lasting solutions will be found for the conflict in the two
countries.
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology